A motorist who left his passenger with a broken neck when his car spun on the motorway in Stirlingshire had been driving at speeds of up to 125mph before crashing.
Rhys Law’s car spun out in “horrific” weather, before flying through the air and hitting a tree.
Both he and his passenger Fletcher McInally were thrown from the Honda Civic when their seatbelts failed.
Stirling Sheriff Court heard data from Mr McInally’s phone showed the car was moving at 80mph around the time of the crash on the M876.
Crash
Fiscal depute Rachel Wallace said a witness approached M9 junction 6 on-slip at Earlsgate, Grangemouth, when she saw two vehicles, which appeared to be driving very fast, approaching the motorway.
She moved over to allow traffic to join and saw the white and blue car accelerate away.
“Moments after, she heard a loud bang and observed a white car tumbling off the road, with a wheel detaching and nearly colliding with her vehicle.”
She said a northbound witness – who described the weather as “horrific” – was approaching the on slip for the M876 Dennyloanhead to Kincardine
“He observed a white car on the left hand side going across the chevrons separating the M9 where the on-slip for the M876 merge.
“He observed the white car “spin and then, with its headlights facing him, collide with the embankment.
“The car rolled and stopped in lane one of the motorway.”
Law and his passenger were taken to hospital in Glasgow with serious injuries.
Ms Wallace continued: “ A collision investigation was carried out.
“The weather at the time was dusk, raining heavily and the road surface was very wet with areas of standing water.
“Data recorded of the drive to the locus by passenger McInally on an application on his mobile phone saw the GPS recording a maximum speed of 125mph, with a final speed recorded being 80mph which, according to the GPS was recorded as being within the collision locus.”
Injuries included organ damage
Mr McInally suffered injuries, including a broken neck, two broken femurs, a broken arm and damage to his lungs, kidney and a blood vessel in his brain.
The fiscal depute said he reported his neck had not healed correctly and continues to be weak.
Law, 22, of Windmill View, Sauchie, admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving on the A876 and M876 on July 6 last year
Solicitor Ken Dalling, defending, said Law himself had sustained serious injuries, including a broken jaw, fractured spine and punctured lung.
He said: “He accepted at an early stage he was at fault.
“It’s not clear if the loss of control… was because of aquaplaning but he accepts responsibility.
“The person seriously injured is a lifelong friend and in other circumstances, Mr McInally would have been in the driver’s seat.”
He added Law was “grateful” the crash had not been more serious, given the car “rolled, hit a tree and essentially broke up”.
Sentence was deferred for reports and Law was disqualified from driving in the interim.
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